Yesterday, a federal judge in Wisconsin struck down the state’s common-sense voter ID law.
Minorities in Wisconsin are disproportionately more likely to live in poverty and those who live in poverty are less likely to drive or participate in other activities such as banking and traveling, in which a photo ID is required, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman wrote.
“Thus, we find that blacks and Latinos are less likely than whites to obtain a photo ID in the ordinary course of their lives and are more likely to be without one,” Adelman wrote.
Good luck finding many blacks and Hispanics offended by the implication that they’re too “poor,” dumb and/or lazy to get themselves down to the DMV.
Although people need to present a valid, state-issued, photo ID for personal and business dealings throughout their lives, liberals push the idea that certain racial minorities are somehow incapable of obtaining the commonly-used and easy to obtain document. Rather than being angry by the implication, however, the people receiving this paternalistic treatment praise such decisions as “progress.”
Yet, some of these same people are the first to accuse someone of being a bigot if he believes negative stereotypes about blacks. Our own president perpetuates them:
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama waded into the voter ID debate, accusing Republicans of using restrictions to keep voters from the polls and jeopardizing 50 years of expanded voting access for millions of black Americans and other minorities.
To even hint that voter ID laws are akin to voting restrictions from back in the day is an insult, but very few object. It seems pride and dignity are quaint concepts.
Photo credit: noelle-christine-images (Creative Commons)